Vegan & Vegetarian Nightmare

There is a local market near my apartment. The market, unlike anything you’ve seen in the United States, consists of thousands of vendors selling their wares. Everything from t-shirts & flip-flops, to stickers and mobile phones, as well as every kind of northern Thai dish is available at this market. Basically, if there were a market that should be in the brochure of places to avoid eating from when traveling abroad, this one would definitely be in the top 10 for Northwestern Hospital’s Travel & Immunization Center. But you know me … when in Rome.
I venture through the market each night in search of a viable option for dinner and it also provides a social outlet for those evenings when I’m not in the mood to stay home. Up to this point, my exploration of the market has been rather limited. I visit the same few vendors for dinner each night and peruse the shops for the latest in Thai fashions and mobile phone accessories. Today I decided to venture further into the market. I was feeling rather restless, and expanded my horizons past my normal safety zone. To my surprise, I found the area where vendors sell items in bulk. First I saunter by the rice stand – baskets filled with every kind of rice imaginable. White rice, brown rice, Jerry Rice, you name the rice, this lady had it – and cheap! She was a force to be reckoned with when it came to buying rice in bulk. Costco – eat your heart out! Next, I stumble across the vegetable stand, and then fruit, and then more fruit. Comparable to Stanley’s in Chicago, but more exotic and true to the ethnic roots of Thailand. I decide to keep exploring and round the corner – only to find the land of barely dead food. Here I find row after row of various booths, all featuring barely dead animals for sale in bulk. One booth has the pig’s head and all the pork you can imagine. Though Charlotte’s Web is one of my all-time favorite books, I understand that eating pork is a natural part of life. What I was not prepared for, were the pig fetuses that had been deep-fried, basted, or simply left out in the sun too long. I had enough trouble dissecting pig fetuses in middle-school, let alone looking at a platter of them piled up next to the pig hoof, snout, and tail. I continue walking, and purposefully increase my stride. The next area I stumble across is the land of seafood and fish in bulk. Fine – I eat sushi; I’m definitely in favor of raw fish. That’s the thing – these fish were not dead yet. I walk by a vat of fish on ice, only to notice that a few of them are still squirming about in their ice-filled coffin. At one stand, I swear I thought one of them was trying to jump out of the bin and into my arms for rescue. Apparently the action of this little Nemo caught the eye of the vendor, because he became the next victim for beheading and gutting. I continued on through areas of poultry, and discovered that Chicken Little was right – the sky is falling! At 188 centimeters tall (6 feet, 2 inches), I barely cleared the hanging chickens and I was at eye-level with most of their gizzards. At this point, my stride is just shy of a jog, and I frantically try to find my way back to the other “safe” side of the market. Additionally, the smell of raw animal flesh basking in the Thai sun was enough to make me wish smell was not one of my five senses. I find my way back, and am relieved to find my regular vendors with their ramen noodles and Singapore street noodle and sticky white rice. However, I quickly discovered that nothing would put you off your appetite like barely dead animals starring at you. It’s great to gain a full understanding of the economic supply chain, but not when you’re trying to enjoy it as part of your meal.